MOOSE JAW — One of the city’s largest annual food drives is underway, as the Moose Jaw Co-op Grocery Store has launched its “Good Buy to Hunger” campaign to support the food bank.
The initiative to help the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank kicked off on Nov. 12 and continues until Friday, Dec. 6, although the store will continue accepting donations until Christmas Eve.
The campaign’s conclusion coincides with the in visiting Moose Jaw on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. It will stop at the CPKC headquarters on Manitoba Street, where musicians Tyler Shaw and Shawnee Kish will perform.
To thank people who donate, the Co-op will enter everyone’s names into a draw to win tickets to ride the train.
The Holiday Train finishes its Canadian schedule on Friday, Dec. 20, in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
During their 26 years steaming across North America, the trains have collected more than $24.3 million in monetary donations and roughly 2.4 million kilograms (5.3 million pounds) of food.
Federated Co-op Limited began the Good Buy to Hunger campaign in 2008, where customers can pay an extra $10 at the checkout for a bag of food. There are also donations from businesses and corporate sponsors, while the Co-op stretches dollars to maximize the final donation amounts.
The Good Buy to Hunger campaign could continue year-round, but Co-op chooses to focus its efforts during the weeks leading up to Christmas since it wants the community to be aware of the initiative and the food bank’s needs, explained Tim Wonsiak, grocery manager.
Wonsiak — who has supported the project for 14 years — thought that it was amazing to participate in this campaign because the Co-op’s mission is to support the communities in which it resides.
“It’s been fantastic every year (and) it keeps growing every year,” he continued. “It’s one of my favourite times of the year to help; with all the different things we have going on, it’s one of my most passionate times of the year.
“And (we’re) always trying to see how big we can stock those shelves for 2025 for all those in need — and now more than ever.”
Last year, the Co-op raised nearly $20,000 in donations during the campaign, which translated into nearly 2,000 bags of food purchased at the till or sponsored by corporate partners.
The Co-op works with the food bank to determine the exact items the latter needs, which is beneficial since the food security organization knows what it will be receiving and won’t be surprised by anything random, said Wonsiak.
While the food bank welcomes all donations — whether purchased at the store or through the campaign — the Co-op can specifically fill the shelves with the necessities, such as canned vegetables, canned fruit, cereals and other healthy options, he continued.
“So we bulk buy, so we save a lot of money that way and (we) stretch that dollar as far as possible,” the grocery manager added. “I always look for the best deals … (for) this campaign … .”
The Co-op will pack all the food onto pallets once the campaign concludes and, with the help of the fire department, will fill the semi-trailer and deliver the material to the food bank — all within 30 minutes.
“It’s quite a thing to witness how fast we can move that food,” laughed Wonsiak.
